For a man who built so much, it’s ironic that Jackie Robinson is known best for what he broke. But when Brooklyn Dodger #42 took the field on April 15, 1947, breaking Major League Baseball’s color barrier in the process, he not only introduced a new era in American history but began building an enduring […]
Tag: Profiles
Say Nice Things About Detroit: The Story of Emily T Gail
Emily T Gail might not have a Detroit address anymore, but she’s arguably more of a Detroiter than most. The creator of the famous 1970s movement “Say Nice Things About Detroit,” — and the inspiration for our newest watch — now lives more than 4,000 miles away in Kailua-Kona Hawaii. Distance has not stopped her […]
#RollUpOurSleeves: Rich Garcia of Alma Backyard Farms
In his long-sleeve waffle shirt, dark roughed-up work pants and scuffed brown leather boots, Rich Garcia moves carefully among rows of vegetables. His canvas hat tilted to the side, and a thin red scapular hanging around his neck completes his farming uniform. His hands are dirty in a way that can come only from a […]
Her Story: Meet four leading ladies who changed history
Detroit’s narrative has long been defined by the mavericks who have forged a unique path with unwavering grit and spirit. This Women’s History Month, we’re honored to shine a light on the fearless female leaders from Detroit’s past. These four women have helped shape the city’s history. Lady of the Law – Cora Mae Brown […]
In the studio with Detroit Artist Louise Chen
Growing up in California, artist Louise Chen, better known as “Ouizi“, never planned to live in Detroit. “I kept coming back for more art projects, and eventually stayed because I had more work here than I did in Los Angeles,” she says. After completing more than 40 murals in Detroit since moving here, not counting […]
#LoveMyCity London with Garconjon
Jonathan Daniel Price, better known as Garconjon, is a London-based photographer specializing in fashion and street photography. In 2014, he launched a project we connected closely with called Man/Men: Manufacturing Menswear, a journal of British craftsmanship that profiles the industry leaders behind British manufacturing and high quality menswear still being produced in the UK. We […]
Meet the Maker: MDI Manufacturing Inc.
Mark Daugherty has always been good with his hands. He built a wildly innovative company by learning to manipulate sophisticated machinery, but his most precious tools are still the two he started out with. “I didn’t come from money,” Mark said. “When I was a kid, I sold newspapers until I had enough cash to […]
In the Studio with Detroit Artist Ellen Rutt
Ellen Rutt is a multidisciplinary-artist and designer whose desire was to steep her identity as an artist in the spirit of Detroit, so she chose to locate her studio within an old warehouse in Milwaukee Junction, just east of New Center. While outsiders might not think of this area as an attractive place to explore, many […]
Meet the Maker: VPI Industries
To engineer The Runwell Turntable, Shinola partnered with VPI Industries, the premier American maker of turntables. The family-owned and operated company was founded almost 40 years ago in the basement of Harry and Sheila Weisfeld. The young couple didn’t intend to revolutionize turntable industry—the music made them do it. As the story goes, Harry, a […]
Meet the Maker: Graphic Image
Mystery still shrouds the origins of the piggy bank. According to one legend, during the Middle Ages, people would store or hide their coins in jars made out of an inexpensive clay called “pygg.” They called these jars “pygg pots” and eventually “pygg banks.” By the 18th century, the general public long forgot that “pygg” […]